FOX on Tech: Weather Alerts Coming to Your Cell Phone

The next text message you get could mean trouble is on the horizon, but it could also save your life. The National Weather Service debuted a new program on Thursday that sends out wireless emergency alerts.

If you're nowhere near a TV or storm siren, it might be a text message on your phone that gives you the heads-up that a tornado, blizzard or dust storm is coming. Susan Buchanan with the National Weather Service tells FOX News Radio that the alerts go out over cell towers.

(Buchanan) "The broadcasts that will be received by your phone will be broadcast by the cell tower where you are at any given time. So, the weather in that area is what you'll get on your phone."

You don't have to sign up for the service or pay for the text message, and if you don't want the alerts, you can opt out. You can contact your cell phone service provider to find out if the system will work on your phone.